Peter Fertig was on the ball in creating the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award

Peter Fertig knew his idea — bringing Major League Baseball and the U.S. Navy together for an award in late pitcher Bob Feller's honor — was an ambitious one.The New Yorker's full-time job is as a sales training manager for ADP, but he's also an author and a poet.So he wrote.Fertig sent letters to the USS Alabama (Feller served aboard the legendary battleship during World War II), the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Indians.“Within six weeks, I had everybody's support,” Fertig said. “That was just the tip of the iceberg. I don't have any connection to the military. I went to a local supervisor and said I know nothing about government entities, but this is what I'd like to pursue. What do I do? I was connected with councilman Cochrane's office. He drafted a letter.”John Cochrane, an Islip, N.Y. councilman, is a former Navy captain. He assisted Fertig in the creation of The Bob Feller Act of Valor Award. (For more background on the award, read our story from Monday's print edition.)Once Fertig and Cochrane had the major entities on board, Fertig began reaching out to Cleveland businessmen and women to drum up support.He found Sam Misseri, vice president of business development for Shaheen Moving & Storage Services in Cleveland, on LinkedIn. Others — such as Wendy Kertesz, who is serving as the event planner for the Cleveland festivities, and Pamela J. Willits, who created a website for the award — were brought in by Misseri.

As we wrote Monday, the annual award will recognize a Major League Baseball player, a Hall of Famer and a member of the U.S. Navy. The candidates — there will be three MLB finalists selected by the award's board of directors and three finalists selected by the U.S. Navy — will be judged on character, conduct and how they assist those less fortunate than themselves. Fertig and Feller's widow, Anne, will pick the Hall of Fame honoree.The first event will be in Cooperstown, N.Y., home of baseball's Hall of Fame, on May 25.On July 6, there will be a celebration at a soon-to-be-announced site in Cleveland, and the seven honorees (the three MLB finalists, the three Navy finalists and the Hall of Fame selection) will be recognized prior to the Indians' 1:05 p.m. game against the Tigers the following day.The three award winners will be recognized on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, in Washington, D.C. They will receive a bronze bust of Feller.The award's board of directors also want to create full-sized busts of Feller that will reside year-round in Cooperstown, Cleveland and D.C.The board hopes to set up fundraising to create the busts. They have applied for 501(c)(3) status. If approved, they would be classified as a nonprofit organization and would be able to receive tax-deductible contributions.“We want to honor Bob's legacy in the right way,” Fertig said.The donations will also go toward the July 6 festivities, in which Misseri said the board would like to provide “a nice dinner” for the members of the military who are present.

“We need heavy hitters,” Misseri said of the fundraising process.

How to reach the board

If you would like more info on the award, contact Fertig at peter@actofvaloraward.org. If you're interested in sponsorship opportunities, contact Misseri at sam@actofvaloraward.org.The group also recently created a Facebook page for the Act of Valor Award.

A season of the ages

I stumbled across this Feller tidbit when researching the first Crain's story on the award: In 1946, Feller's first full season after missing almost four years because of his commitment to the Navy, the Heater from Van Meter had the best year of his career with the Tribe.Feller, after missing the 1942, '43 and '44 seasons, pitched nine games in 1945. He was 5-3 with a 2.50 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 72 innings. Considering his extended time off, that was very impressive.The next season was much more than that.In 1946, Feller was 26-15 with a 2.18 ERA. He struck out 348 batters in 371 1/3 innings. He pitched in 48 games — 48! — and started 42. Even with six relief appearances factored in, he averaged almost eight innings per game.Feller led the American League in victories, innings, games, starts, strikeouts, shutouts (10), complete games (36), and he even had four saves.That's one of the most amazing seasons in baseball history, and again, it was Feller's first after he gave up more than three full years of his career to serve his country.That's valor, all right.You can follow me on Twitter for sports information, analysis and more updates on a very worthwhile award in Bob Feller's honor.

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